IVs and EVs in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Every time a Pokémon levels up, its stats are increased. This gain seems random, and yet... you can completely influence these stat gains to maximize them. To do this, you'll need to look at some hidden values: IVs and EVs.

---

The IVs of a Pokémon

The IVs are the Individual ValuesThis is the individual values of a Pokémon. These values represent the potential of a Pokémon. For each stat (HP, Atk, Def, etc.), all Pokémon have an IV value between 0 and 31. This value corresponds to the bonus stat points the Pokémon will get once it reaches level 100.

Specifically, a Pokémon with 31 Speed IVs will have 31 more speed points at level 100 than a Pokémon with 0 Speed IVs.

The IVs are randomly assigned at creation of the Pokémon. The creation of the Pokémon means both its birth and its appearance in the wild. You can't change a Pokémon's IV, nor can you really know it precisely. However, you can get an idea of your strongest IV from the nature of your Pokémon.

If you look at your Pokémon's profile, you can see that it has a nature. This is determined by your highest IV, according to the following table:

IV	PV	Atk	Def	Atk Special	Def Special	Speed
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30	Love to eat	Proud of its power	Robust body	Extremely curious	Very willing	Likes to run
1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26 or 31	Often nods off	Likes to hustle	Can take a beating	Naughty	A bit conceited	Attentive to sound
2, 7, 12, 17, 22 or 27	Sleeps a lot	A bit short-tempered	Very stubborn	Very clever	Rebellious spirit	Beastly and impulsive
3, 8, 13, 18, 23 or 28	Scattershot things	Likes to fight	Good stamina	Often in the dark	Hates to lose	Likes to clown around
4, 9, 14, 19, 24 or 29	Likes to relax	Easy to carry	Persistent	Very special	Quite stubborn	Leaks quickly

For example, a Pokémon with IVs of 5 (HP), 13 (Atk), 1 (Def), 26 (Special Atk), 9 (Special Def), and 17 (Lives) will have a Rogue nature, because its largest IV is the Special Atk and it has a value of 26.

Note that a Pokémon with IVs of 0 (HP), 0 (Atk), 0 (Def), 1 (Atk Special), 0 (Def Special) and 0 (Lif) will also have a Rogue nature.

If a Pokémon has the same Max IV value in two different stats, its nature is randomly selected from the corresponding stats.

---

The EVs of a Pokémon

If you can't do much with a Pokémon's IVs, EVs are much more interesting to use! These are statistics for those who like to optimise their Pokémon as much as possible.

What are EVs?

EVs are the Effort ValuesThis is the amount of effort a Pokémon puts into battle. Every time you defeat a Pokémon, you gain experience, but also EVs. These are called of invisible statisticsbut which make a huge difference in the long run.

The type of EV and number of EVs you gain depends on the Pokémon you successfully defeat. For example, knocking out a Colossus, regardless of its level, gives you 2 EV in Attack.

Every time you win 4 EV points in a statisticIf you beat two Colossians, you will gain a bonus point in the relevant stat at level 100. So beating two Colossians gives you 4 EV in Attack, which is 1 bonus point in Attack at level 100.

The system does have some limitations to prevent abuse of the method:

• A Pokémon can only have 510 EV maximum
• A Pokémon can only have 255 EVs in a single statistic

This means that a Pokémon with correctly distributed EVs will earn 127 bonus stat points at level 100, 63 of which are in the stat that is most interesting to it.

Manage your EVs properly

There is no secret to managing your EVs, you will have to choose your opponents carefully and count each defeated Pokémon by hand.

When you capture a Pokémon or hatch it from an egg, the Pokémon is exactly at 0 EV.

From there, choose opponents based on the EVs they give you until you reach the 510 possible EVs. To find out what EVs you get from defeating a Pokémon, you can check out our full Pokédex.

If you find yourself facing an unexpected opponent who doesn't have the EVs you want, you can either run away from the battle or have your Pokémon knocked out to prevent it from getting the rewards at the end of the battle.

Objects and EVs

There are many items that affect the EV gained (or lost!). Some items drastically boost your EV. This is the case of vitamins and feathers.

The objects of powerWhen equipped to a Pokémon, it will grant bonus EVs for each Pokémon it defeats, regardless of the target's EVs.

• Power Weight : +8 EV in PV
• Wrist Power: +8 EV in Attack
• Power Belt: +8 EV in Defence
• Power Lens: +8 EV in Special Attack
• Headband Power : +8 EV in Special Defence
• Power Chain: +8 EV in Speed

To use the Colossinge example mentioned earlier, if you manage to defeat one while equipped with a Power Weight, you get the 8 EVs in HP, plus the 2 EVs in Attack. Remember, however, that using a power item halves your Speed until you de-equip it.

On the other hand, berries have the particularity of decreasing your EVs, which may allow you to correct a bit if you make a mistake.

• Grena Bay : -10 EV in PV
• Alga Bay : -10 EV in Attack
• Qualot Bay : -10 EV in Defence
• Lonme Bay : -10 EV in Special Attack
• Resin Bay : -10 EV in Special Defence
• Tamato Bay: -10 EV in Speed

---

There you go. All you have to do is keep score with a freshly caught or hatched Pokémon to optimise its stats and make it the perfect Pokémon.

---